Alex Palmer's Natural History Notes and Thoughts

Section I:  Introduction             In an increasingly urbanized and human-developed landscape, natural lands such as forests, meadows, and streams are increasingly being divided and separated into smaller and more isolated areas.  Growing population densities across major metropolitan areas in the United States are placing available acreage of open space for public use on a premium.  As McMahon notes, a growing community usually has plans to expand its “airport, sewage treatment plant, storm water facilities, fiber optics cables, and other community utilities,” yet often ignores or omits plans to “preserve their essential life sustaining natural infrastructure,” (2000).  Greenspace in an urban setting can not only serve as a vital resource to people, it can also be beneficial in protecting wildlife and other natural resources. Norfolk, Virginia, one of the “Hampton Roads” cities in southeast Virginia, is a low elevation coastal city whose origins date back to early European colo